Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2001

As Buddy's own flight gets called around 10pm, he decides to play the nice guy routine.  He offers Greg his ticket on the plane who graciously accepts.  This leaves Buddy stuck at the airport for the night and provides the excuse to head back to Mimi's room for a one night stand.

Flashing lights and loud sirens awake them both the following morning.  Flight 82, of which Greg was a passenger, crashed killing everyone on board.  After this incredible twist of fate, Buddy's life now has new meaning - he should have been on that plane and somehow, he's still alive.  It's too much to deal with and developing alcohol problems see him wind up in a drug rehabilitation clinic.

A year passes and Buddy returns to work at his advertising business.  In the back of his mind, he's always felt guilty about giving Greg that ticket and he goes in search of his wife, Abby (Paltrow), to see how she is coping with the loss.  The problem is that as Buddy meets Abby and gets to know her, he develops a mutual attraction.  Can he continue this relationship?  Can he hide the truth that he was the guy who gave her husband the ticket who took his life?

Don Roos is a gifted screenwriter whose credits include Boys On The Side and Single White Female.  He made his debut writing/directing effort in 1998's The Opposite Of Sex which is a much underrated comedy.  Making The Opposite Of Sex so special was the dialogue shared between the characters.  It wasn't a bold or original concept but everyone was realistic and funny.  Clearly, Bounce isn't an original idea either but despite Roos’ best efforts, it, like the plane, never gets off the ground.

The film begins promisingly with snazzy opening credits.  Bounce suffers in the final half-hour when it degenerates into a soppy cry-fest with every audience member known exactly what will happen in the end.  Few remember that both Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow have starred together before with both appearing in 1998's Academy Award winning Shakespeare In Love.  They make a believable couple but when the tears start flowing from the two, I couldn't help laughing at how fake it all seemed.

The reviews have been surprisingly upbeat from the States and I went with an open mind but Bounce continues the recent trend of poor romantic dramadies.  With such movies, there are only two possible outcomes - they either end up together or they don't.  Given the lesser emphasis on the ending, what makes the film is its development in the middle.  If you want to see a film that shows what I mean, see The Opposite Of Sex and save Bounce for a later date.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 March 2001

So just what kind of writing am I talking about?  Having checked a few internet sites and read a few of the passages that were too graphic for film audiences, I understand just how depraved the Marquis De Sade was.  I won't go to the trouble of printing an extract for fear of offending too many.

Geoffrey Rush takes on the juicy leading role and has earned himself his Academy Award nomination.  He is brilliant in his portrayal and is supported by Kate Winslet, as a chambermaid, Joaquin Phoenix as a priest, and Michael Caine as a man sent to bring him to his senses.

The story is told with precision by director Philip Kaufman (Truly Madly Deeply) and adapted from Doug Wright’s play.  It has all the ingredients of a well-made period piece - great sets, great costumes, great actors, great story.  Yet somehow, despite all of this, I was not taken by the story.  Sure the Marquis had his part in history but he wasn't a character I found particularly interesting.  The ending itself epitomised my feelings and seemed to contradict the serious nature of what preceded it.  I was never completely satisfied.

On a curious side note, a point was raised by a fellow viewer in Roger Ebert's Movie Answer Man column.  Being set in France, it's obvious that they spoke French and in the film they all speak English so it can be understood.  But why is it that the actors all speak with a British accent?  An interesting question for which there is no answer.  It seems that movies set in non-English speaking countries of Europe have their characters speak predominantly with British accents.

It's hard to say who would find Quills overwhelming appealing although the National Board of Review found it worthy of their best picture of 2000 honour.  It admirably says something about freedom of speech and the changing of society but not enough is made of his life story.  Despite all the hype, there are definitely better films currently on offer.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2001

In Washington, Judge Robert Wakefield (Douglas) has been appointed by the President to lead the country in the war against drugs.  The problem is escalating but like any politician, he believes he has all the answers and appears in total control.  Back in Ohio, his 16-year-old daughter (Christensen) is about to highlight the futility of his pursuit.  She is arrested after dropping an overdose victim at a hospital entrance and attempting to flee.  She's found to be high on a mixture of drugs herself.

Meanwhile, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers Montel Gordon (Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Guzman) have landed a sting and arrested small-time dealer Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer).  They offer him immunity and protection in return for the names of his suppliers.  This leads them to Carlos Ayala (Bauer) who is arrested.  His wife, Helena (Zeta-Jones), was unknowing of her husband's drug activities but will not sit quietly and watch her husband's million dollar empire crumble while he awaits trial in prison.

In Mexico, a war is being raged between two leading drug cartels that are supplying much of the product to the United States.  Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Del Toro) is a straight-shooting police officer who becomes involved when asked by Mexican military leader Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) to help bring down one of the cartels.  His life is now in severe danger and further jeopardised when approached by American agents for sensitive insider information.  He's just not sure who, if anyone, should be trusted.

There are many involved in the drug industry and as evidenced from the above summary, Traffic shows many angles.  Steven Soderbergh deserves all the acclaim he has received (including the Academy Award nomination) for crafting a modern-day masterpiece.  He is supported by a brilliant screenplay from Steven Gaghan who offers a refreshingly pessimistic look at the industry and its effects.  It's an awesome cast.  You find yourself analysing each character - thinking what they want and why.  Keep your eye out for subtle cameos including Albert Finney, Benjamin Bratt, James Brolin and Salma Hayek. 

The film is shot entirely with handheld cameras and with quick editing and little score, the realism of the situation is heightened.  Scenes in Mexico are given a yellow tinge and scenes in Washington and given a bluish tinge.  It's nothing like I've seen before.  The film is rough and edgy - just like its subject material.

Many may find Traffic a frustrating experience given it offers no solutions.  I praise Soderbergh's courage not to succumb to Hollywood commercialism and provide an "everyone's a winner" conclusion.  This does not make the film a fruitless vehicle.  I now appreciate the dangers of the industry, the uselessness of politicians, the weaknesses in the justice system and the overall power of money.  Most of all I understand that the problem is not about limiting supply, it's about limiting demand.  The old catchphrase is ringing true - if we can't solve our own problems, how can we expect to solve those of others?

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 March 2001

Detective Joel Campbell (Spader) tried to hunt an elusive serial killer in Los Angeles who was known to have killed 11 women, all by strangulation with piano wire.  Campbell then developed a stress related drug addiction and was forced to give up his job.

Moving to Chicago, time passes and Campbell struggles to get his life back on track with the help of a psychiatrist (Tomei).  Then, someone in his building is murdered and in the mail a photograph of the victim has been sent to him.  Soon enough, he gets a phone call from his old adversary, the serial killer himself (Reeves).  It seems the detective who replaced Campbell in L.A. was no fun to work with so the killer has moved to Chicago to have Campbell reassigned to the case.

The serial killer is going to give him a fighting chance.  Each morning, a photograph will be mailed to his residence and he will have all day to track down the person in the photo to save her life.  If not, she will be killed at 9:00pm.

The Watcher is filled with all the close shaves and chase scenes that have become standard in modern day serial killer thrillers.  This film had a troubled past with Reeves agreeing to make the film several years ago before trying to back out of the deal (maybe he read the script).  After reaching agreement with the director and the studio, Reeves agreed to complete the film if he wasn't given unnecessary publicity and thus Spader and Tomei take top billing in the film's credits and posters.

All the cast have ability but none show any ingenuity with an extremely limited screenplay.  You always know where it's going and I’m sure the life of a real serial killer isn't quite so predictable - if so, they'd be easier to catch, wouldn't they?

This is the kind of film that didn't deserve a cinematic release and the public would be best seeing it direct on video.  The film's catchline on the poster warns the audience "Don't go home alone".  It's my advice is that you won't find yourself facing this predicament if you don't go at all.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 March 2001

Proof Of Life is different from the very start.  The open 20 minutes introduces us to the key players.  We meet Terry Thorne (Crowe) at a debriefing following his latest successful K&R (kidnap and ransom) negotiation.  He helped bring the ransom down from $5,000,000 to a mere $750,000 and secured the safety of the captee.  In South America, Peter Bowman (Morse) and his wife Alice (Ryan) are seeing their dreams fall apart.  Peter is overseeing the construction of a dam but back in the States, the company has gone bust and he's left without a job.  Things are a little strained between the two.

Having developed the premise, the film kicks into gear.  When driving to work one morning, Peter is set upon by a terrorist group and taken hostage.  Terry Thorne is called in by the insurance company to begin negotiations but on discovering the company is uninsured he is ordered to return back to the States leaving a distressed Alice without a prayer.  Somehow though, this has become personal.  He can't leave Alice stranded and secretly returns (unknowingly to his employer) to help secure the return of Peter.

We have seen many films in the past deal with terrorism, kidnapping and ransom but this is both real and suspenseful.  Just think that it could happen to you.  As Terry explains the motives behind the kidnappers, you’ll understand how much is at stake and how if you play their game, much can be gained.  It's not a mere matter of talking them down and solving the problem within a day.  Money is all that counts and you have to find just the right amount that gets the job done within the right time frame.

The final half hour features an incredible action sequence which I won't detail.  It is well shot from a variety of camera angles and gives a full appreciation for the situation and its perils.  It's reminiscent of great war sequences we've seen before in Platoon and Apocalypse Now.

Not only is Crowe's performance one of his finest, David Caruso and Pamela Reed give great support with developed roles.  The weakest link was Meg Ryan who does little more than get weepy in a few scenes.  She doesn't stand a chance against the talent around her and can I ask the make-up crew why her hair is so perfect in every scene?  A better casting choice would have put this film up with the year's best.

Taylor Hackford (The Devil's Advocate) has crafted a powerful film that has made the most of the budget and talented crew.  It's hard to look past all the controversy surrounding the relationship breakdown between Crowe and Ryan which many believe (including the director) has contributed to a poor U.S. box-office.  On screen, they don't exactly make a sizzling pair and thankfully, the romance side of the movie is underplayed.  So, disregard what you've already heard and make sure you see Proof Of Life.